Sales of motor vehicles in the first quarter this year slumped 9.8 percent to 105,642 units sold from 117.074 units sold in the same quarter last year, with most categories posting negative growth, in contrast to the 7.4 percent increase in electric vehicle sales and its growing market share, a joint report by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) showed.
Based on the report, the passenger car category declined by 17.2 percent to 20,151 units from 24,332 units in the same period last year, while commercial vehicle sales also posted a 7.8 percent decrease in sales to 85,491 units from 92,742 units.
The Asian utility vehicles or multi-purpose vehicle category posted flat sales 29,500 units, while light trucks and buses posted a 5 percent increase to 1,761 units and medium trucks and buses also ended flat at 871 units.
The category light commercial vehicles or pickups declined by 10.5 percent with sales of 62,228 units from 69,508 units and heavy duty trucks and buses posting the biggest decline at 48.4 percent.
For the month of March alone, the data showed that only two categories – light duty trucks and medium duty trucks and buses – posted positive growth of 3.4 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.
Meantime, consistently, sales of various Electrified Vehicles (xEV) continues to show its strong growth momentum. From 3,098 units of Battery, Hybrid, and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles in February, CAMPI-TMA members posted a total of 6,148 xEV units sold in March. This represents approximately 17 percent of the total motor vehicle market, supporting the continuous expansion of consumer options when it comes to fuel-efficient and energy-saving cars.
CAMPI president Jose Maria Atienza believes this shift has become more pronounced, in light of the state of national energy emergency declared in late March.
“This continues the rising trend we have been observing the past few years. xEV adoption is mainly driven by users’ growing understanding and acceptance of electrified technologies. We expect this to grow further because of the country’s need for various energy efficient vehicles,” said Atienza.
“Rising oil prices will surely influence the Filipino motorists driving and vehicle purchase behavior. This will not only accelerate the preference for electrified vehicles but may also highlight the practicality of energy efficient vehicles like smaller and lower displacement cars. The auto industry will evolve based on the market’s requirement,” he added.
Among CAMPI-TMA members, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) leads March 2026 in terms of sales volume and market share at 17,622 units sold (49% share). Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) follows at 6,239 (17%). Rounding up the top 5 are Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPI) with 1,694 units (4.7%), Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) with 1,491 units (4.13%), and Honda Cars Philippines, Inc (HCPI) with 1,488 units (4.12%).
